Knitting-machine.



E. E. BUSEK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15. 1913'.

1,204,404. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

3 SHEETSSHEET 1.

Witnesaea': U Inventor,-

E. E. BUSEK.

KNITTING MACHINE.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15. 1913.

LZQQAQQ. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Wdt messes;

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E. E. BUSEK.

KNITTING MACHINE. APPLICATION FILED DEC. 15, 19m

LQQQAQQ. Patented Nov. 14, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

".l Annual if Q) 33 39 III-um 1 mm? EDWAED E. BUSEK, OF MILJ/AUKEE,WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGNMENTS, T0 HEBEPEILL MAN UFAC'I'URINGCOMPAIQ'Y, 0F EA'WTUCKET, EHGDE ISLAND, A

COBPDRATION GE RHODE ISLAND.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Nov. 114i, 13 i 6! Application filed liecember 15, 1913. SerialNo. 808,733.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that l, EDWARD E. Susan, acitizen of the United States, residing at Milwaukee, in the county ofMilwaukee and State of Wisconsin, have invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Knittmg- Machines, of which the following is aspeciz'ication, reference being had to the accompanying drawing, forminga part thereof.

This invention relates to knitting machines and the objects of theinvention are to im rove circular knitting machines so that t e actionofthe droppers in Widening the part of the fabric being knitted mayinclude the needles with the long butts in addition to the needles withthe short butts.

Referring to the drawings which accompany this specification and form apart hereof, which drawings illustrate an embodiment of this invention,and on which drawings the same reference characters are used todesignate the same elements wherever they may appear in each of theseveral views, Figure 1 is a front elevation of part of an automatic,circular knitting machine; Fig. 2 is an elevation of the left hand sideof the parts of the machine illustrated by Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a sectionalview, drawn to an enlarged scale, taken on the line (1-4;

on Fig. 1, looking in the direction indicated by the arrows; and Fig. 4is an elevation, on the same scale as Fig. 3, of cam mechanism.

The invention which is to be described in this specification isillustrated by the drawings in connection with a well-known make ofautomatic, circular knitting machine, the

construction .of which does not need to be described in detail herein asreference may be had for such details to United States Letters PatentNos. 933,443, 93 L969 and 1,015,733 granted to Joshua D, Hemphill onSeptember 7, 1909, September 21, 1909 and January 23, 1912, respectivelyThe machine-may be briefly described as comprising a frame 1, driveshaft 2, crank 3, loose pulley 1, drive pulleys 5 and 6, needle cylinder7, cam shaft 8, stop-motion wheel 9, pattern chain 10, chain wheel 11,main ratchet 12, pawl supporter 13, cam-wheel 1 1, sliding bar 15,cam-plate 16, knitting cam-member 17, pickers 18 and 19, droppcrs 20 and21, and belt shipper 22, all of which operate in the same manner and forthe same purposes as the same'parts illustrated and described in theLetters Patent hercinbefore referred to, except the angular oscillationsof the needle cylinder 7 are increased to about a fourth more than acomplete revo lution,

About half of the needles have long butts 23 and the other half haveshort butts 24. and when the needle cylinder is being continuouslyrevolved or rotated to knit with all the needles, the butts of all theneedles are down to the base cam 25 in the ordinary manner.

The cam 26, which only projects into the path of the long butt-s 23, andwhich can be moved up and down in the guide 27, is the lifting cam forelevating or lifting the needles with the long butts to throw them outof knitting action. This cam is lifted by the cam surfaces which projectfrom the cam-drum 28 in the path of the cam follower 29 and is loweredby the spring 30 when the said cam surfaces permit, in a manner whichwill be readily understood. The lifting cam 26 is connected with camfollower 25) by the links 31 and 32 and lever 33. The cam 34, whichprojects into the path of the butts of all the needles, and which can bemoved up and down in the guide27 independently of the lifting cam 26, isthe lowering cam for bringing the elevated needles down into knittingpositions. This lowering cam is lifted by the cam surfaces which projectfrom the cam-drum 28 in the path of the cam follower 35 and is loweredor depressed by the spring 36. The lowering cam 3 1 is connected withcam follower 35 by the links 37 and 38 and the lever 39. The levers 33and 39 are illustrated as pivframe 1 and the guide27 is illustrated assecured to the cam-plate 16.

With the construction illustrated and described the lifting and loweringcams should move up, or lift, togetherbut the lifting cam 26 should movedown independently of the .oted to a bracket 40 which is secured to thethe long butts out of knitting position thereby def-ating the resultdesired. l igs. 2 and I) of the drawings clearly illustrate theindependent. timed lowering movements of the lifting cam 2b and thelowering cam 1H permitted by the cam surfaces in the paths of camfollowers 29 aml 35 on cam-drum 28.

It will be understood. of course. that the machine can be adjusted forthe particular work to be done as is customary with these machines. and.for the purpose of illustration. the operation of the machine will bedescribed while knitting enough of a sock to make this invention readilyunderstood.

The leg of the sock is knitted with the needles and their butts alldown. \Yhen the fashion chain It) has been moved the distance necessaryto correspond with the predetermined length of the leg. the mechanismmoves cam-drum "2S and elevates simultanemisly the lifting cam 26 andthe lowering cam 34. \Yhile the leg is being knitted the needle cylinderT is being rotated continuously but with the lifting of the lifting andlowering cams the motion of the needle cylinder changes from acontinuous rotation to a back and forth oscillation and the lifting cam26 lifts all the needles with the long butts throwing them outof theknitting action. As the needle cylinder oscillates, the pickers 18 and19 alternately pick up a needle in the ordinary manner to narrow thepart being knitted and this action continues for such a time, or numberof rows of stitches, as is determined by the pattern chain. Then themechanism starts the droppers 20 and 21 into action to alternately dropor lower two needles at a time to widen the part being knit. It isunderstood, of course, that the needle cylinder is still oscillating andthe pickers 18 and 19 are still picking up single needles. The liftingcam 26 is now lowered by the mechanism at the time determined by the.fashion chain and the only point to be observed is that the lifting camis lowered before the droppers begin to drop or pick down the needleswith the long butts. The machine can now be run continually wideningthe. part being knitted as long as desired, say until aboutthree-fourths of the needles are down and knitting. This knitting istimed by the fashion chain and when the fashion chain causes themechanism to move to permit the lowering cam 34 to be pulled down by itsspring, this cam will be pulled down and will lower or depress all theneedles remaining elevated, the needle cylinder will cease oscillatingand will revolve continuously to knit the foot of the sock.

What is claimed is 1. In a circular knitting machine, the

' combination of a needle cylinder, needles having long butts andneedles having short butts carried thereby, a knitting cam member,narrowing pick mechanism, widening pick mechanism. a lifting cam adaptedto contact only with the needles having long butts. a lowering cam forsaid needles, means for lifting said lifting and lowering cams toelevate the needles having long butts and means for lowering the liftingcam be fore the lowering cam is lmvered to permit the widening pickmechanism to pick down needles having long butts into knitting positionwithout said needles being interfered with by either of said cams.

2. In a circular knitting machine, the. combination with a needlecylinder and needles having long butts and needles hav ing short buttscarried thereby, a knitting cam member. narrowing pick mechanism,widening pick mechanism. a guide, a lifting cam and a lowering camsupported by said guide. said lifting cam being adapted to contact onlywith the needles having long butts and cam mechanism for lifting thelifting and lowering cams and retaining the said cams in elevatedposition, the. cam mechanism being adapted to retain the lowering -am inan elevated position after the lifting caln has been lowered to permitthe widening pick mechanism to pick down needles having long butts into,knitting position without said needles being interfered with by eitherthe lifting cam or the lowering cam.

23. In combination in a. stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder,needles arranged in two series, one having longer butts than the other,stitch cams, a cam for elevating the longer butt needles in making heeland toe pockets on the shorter butt needles, narrowing pick mechanism.and widening pick mechanism operating upon both the short aml the longbutt needles to widen the fabric beyond the point where narrowing began.

4. In combination in a stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder.needles arranged in two series, onehaving longer butts than the other, aCI for lowering the longer butt instep needles to normal plane, a camoperating automatically and independently of the said lowering cam toraise the longer butt instep needles to inoperative position, amlnarrowing and widening pick mecha nism, said widening pick mechanismbeing operative upon both the short and the long butt needles to widenthe fabric beyond the point where narrowing began, substantially asdescribed.

5. In combination in a stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinderhaving rotary and reciprocating movements, needles in two series, onehaving longer butts than the other, an instep cam for raising the longerbutt needles to inoperative position, narrowing and Widening pickmechanisms, said widening pick mechanism being operative upon both theshort and long butt needles to continue widening beyond the point wherenarrowing began, means for operating the instep cam to position forraising the instep needles, and to retract it before widening begins onthe longer butt needles, substantially as described.

6. A knitting machine having in combi nation a needle cylinder providedwith instep needles and heel needles, stitch cams, a cam for moving theinstep needles to inoperative position at the beginning of a heel,narrowing pick mechanism to act upon the heel needles, widening pickmechanism, means for causing said widening pick mechanism to act on theheel needles, and also upon a number of the instep needles, and arestoring cam for restoring the remainder of the instep needles tooperative position.

tion a needle cylinder provided with instep needles and heel needles,stitch cams, a cam for moving the instep needles to inoperative positionat the beginning of a heel, narrowing pick mechanism to act upon theheel needles, widening pick mechanism, means for causing said wideningpick mechanism to act upon the heel needles and also upon a number ofthe instep needles, a restoring cam for restoring the remainder of thein step needles to operative position and nieans for operating saidfirst mentioned cam independently from said restoring cam.

S. A knitting machine having in combination a needle cylinder providedwith instep needles and heel needles, stitch cams, a needle raising cam,means for actuating said cam to move the instep needles to inoperativeposition at the beginning of the heel, narrowing pick mechanism to actupon the heel needles, widening pick mechanism, means for causing saidwidening pick mechanism to act upon the heel needles and also upon a,number of the instep needles. :1 re-- storing cam for restoring theremainder of the instep needles to operative position, and means torreturning said needle raising cam to normal position before the wideningpick mechanism begins to act upon the instep needles.

9. Tu combination in a stocking knitting machine, a needle cylinder, anccdlc cam carrier, one of said parts having rotary and re ciprocatorymovements, instep needles, her-i. and toe needles, means For throwingall the instep needles out of operation as a A knitting machine havingin combinagroup for formation of the heel, narrowing pick mechanism fornarrowing the heel pouch by throu ing out of operation heel and theneedles only, and widening pick mecha 'nism for subsequently wideningthe heel pouch, said rotary and reciprocating part continuing itsreeiprocations and said widening pick mech'ai'ii'sm continuing itspicking operations on the instep needles originally ri'indercd.inoperative as a group and beyond the point where narrowing began,substantially as described.

10. In combination in a stocking knitting machine a needle cylinder,heel and toe and instep needles, knitting cams, a vertically movableneedle restoring cam to engage the. instep needle butts for loweringthem to operative position, automatically operating connections formoving said needle restor ing cam vertically to different positions, anautomatically operated vertically movable needle raising cam' forraising instep needles and narrowing and widening pick mechanism, thelatter continuing the widening beyond the point where narrowing beganand connections autimiatically operating independently of the firstmentioned coi'mcction For operating the needle raising cam and loweringit before the continued widening of the fabric takes place,substantially as described. v

11. lln combination in a stocking knitting machine, a needle ovlindcr,heel and toe and instep needles, knitting cams, a vertically movableneedle restoring cam to lower the instep needles to operativepositioinautomatically operating connections for moving said cam todillcrcnt positions. a needle raising cam to elevate instep needles toinoperative position. uarrowii'ig pick mechanism, widening pickmechanism, the latter performing additional widening actions bey nd thepoint where narrowing began for the heel, and automatir: lly operatingconnections, independent of those first more lioncil for operating theneedle raising cam to position For raising the needles and restoringsaid cam to normal position before the additional widenings areperformed, substa ntially as described.

in witness whereof I hereto atlix my signature in presence of twowitnesses,

it nesses:

FRANK E. Dnunn'r'r, Cons. l'i. (loss.

